Numerous character lines, standard LED headlights and a strong grille give the new 2019 Volkswagen Arteon great on-road presence, while its interior is a serenely designed space with mostly good materials and scads of rear-seat room.

Nissan bets on a bigger battery shoehorned into the existing chassis, upgrades to an existing powertrain and small tweaks to technology to extend the Leaf’s performance and range – and the automaker’s EV sales dominance.